November!!!

I've been absent from here for a few months. Reality setting in! The newness of it all is wearing thin. There has been some internal struggle to keep the momentum going but when you have arrived at a kind of steady state it becomes evident.

There has been progress, but the degree of newness is becoming less and less. Trying to be creative to keep the motivation levels up this can be quite challenging sometimes!

Time for a holiday to break the monotony. Sigh. I am no machine, a proper break is absolutely needed every 6 months no matter how great one feels things are going.

So I am looking forward to the break in Xmas. Go back, see the family. I need a new set of tracks to run on. Things look clearer after you step out and look back from the outside or from a distance.

So whats been happening!!!

• Hit the biking trails on weekends - but that's going to be replaced with swimming pretty soon - better cardio workout and also a changewould be refreshing
  
• Squats have plateaued - trying to break that with deadlifts
• Incline presses have plateaued - trying to break that with more back workouts
• What I really need to do these days however is to put up one or two tech projects on the web --- embedded joke browsing device (mini haha!) , c# modbus sniffer. I need to work on how to present stuff better --- especially online. New widgets to play with to convey information.
  

Been mucking about with a few things recently. Playing about with facebook. Its a good way to hook up with old friends and family. Sharing photos of recent events. Then once you get addicted to it, the time that is spent on it could just get out of hand. Disproportionate to whatever benefit you get from it. Its good for idling away the time, which is probably what I have been doing all this time.

Picked up that book by Eckhart Tolle. A lot of the ideas he described rings true in a timeless sort of way. But how can one be focussed on getting to the future without having to focus and visualize the objective. When one is so deeply rooted in the present moment, it becomes somewhat tricky to motivate towards a future goal. My take on Tolle would be yes - and no. Some ideas are well described, others may not be appropriate to my set of circumstances anyway.

Anyways --- I was out for a break, but I am back. Sidetracked by a few things that keep me amused but it seems that they have little value in propelling me forwards, toward a greater sense of clarity of my future. I am trying to restore the levels of enthusiasm I had for the present or more accurately the future with the time, the place and the opportunities I have before me. After being somewhat sapped of momentum and focus for a few weeks and a few significant events I think I have returned. Surer and more focussed.

New toys in the inventory... USB target board - Windows Device Driver. TCPIP Target Board - AjAX. New Server machine - Apache/PHP/MySQL. Its all good. Getting a few new ideas going on them will be fun. They will be a sort of path forward.

Meanwhile, staying put and consolidating the space I am occupying is something not to be forsaken.

JULY!!!!

Time has been whizzing by...

• Squatting 240lbs
• Hawthorn vs Sydney match last Sunday - getting the hang of it - its entertaining, there's thuggery, plenty of vertical highball action, hands, legs, pushing, shoving, anything goes man...
  
• Gained substantial understanding of the local real estate having spent every Saturday morning to survey a different part of town
• Started the first trade on the ASX today!!!
• Sorted out the QT install problem
• Sorted a way of organising code snippets using eclipse
• There's openings here and there worthy of serious consideration - AR
• First taste of KANGAROO!!! the trick is to cook it well and what you get is a bland tasteless piece of chewy meat. If you want the flavour, cook it medium well. Ain't much flavour to talk about --- its gamey, that about it. I don't like gamey.
• On the other hand --- there was a pack of T-bones that I finished off last weekend, and the "yum" was beyond description. Premium sirloin was almost as good: it cost a bit less. So you get what you pay for.
  

June Instrospection

Half a mind to write about things that suck - but its all in the perception. With enough insights and life experience one can extract wonder and beauty from any situation. Its the toxins accumulated over 10 years in a less than ideal environment that sometimes poison the mind. While going through a detoxification process, one would now and then be haunted by the ghosts. Its all part of the healing process. We know that its all good here. And its only the beginning. How much of the past does one care to salvage? How much work is involved to dust off the dirt from a relic and recondition it for a new life? that remains to be seen.

On the tech front...

This area has seen slow progress. Mainly having screwed up my QT installation a couple of weeks back with eclipse. Managed to recover last weekend and overcome the sticky bits. The rig appears to be nicely setup now ready for some action. Was slow due to the procrastination, --- too much multitasking ain't good. Stumbled into stumbler add-on last night when pondering on whether to upgrade to firefox 3.0... the thing is pretty addictive. Stole from me a few critical hours. Well having unstuck myself I am looking forwards to finally getting down and dirty with making up some new stuff.

What has been said by Roger has rung true all these years - with tools already setup, half the battle is won. Always worthwhile taking the time to set it all up properly (and understand well enough to know how to repeat the process!)

Been itching also to get started on LAMP...

Squats

Pretty much on target having progressed to 220lb quickly. Not too happy with the form, as it does appear that I get sloppier and sloppier as I pile on the weights. Hence I am administering a large dose of high reps training that alternate between testing my limits. Present state is 120lbs x 24 reps x 6 sets. At low intensity, I do feel that I am able to better focus on the form and cardio efficiency. The latter is the one aspect that I perceive as my weakness and needs work. I expect to up the weights within this week.

INFJ

INFJ: Introverted(11%) Intuitive(38%) Feeling(38%) Judging(22%)

Looks like I am pretty consistent. I actually thought that I might come up with a different result. Numbers do seem to indicate I am close to the middle ground in terms of introversion and the judging aspect of my character. But I do believe that in a professional situation, my personality skews towards a more ENTJ. I.e.more extrovert, and more intellectual. That's just my own perception - never checked it with that psychometric test. Perhaps I would like to see myself as being balanced or at least being aware of and seeking to establish that middle ground. That intuition aspect however seems to be a key dominant characteristic that does not shift.

Interesting that one can observe the types on you tube. I am curious to see how I look on video - hence the motivation to go get myself a webcam. Something that has always been considered to be nice to have but not really justified.

The Mailman always delivers, so can you...

Whats new today...

Finally managed to solve the chronic resource problem on my laptop without resorting to digging into the pockets to replace or upgrade anything. Other than that new 7 port USB hub. Great value, and effort. Last night saw the removal of linux dual boot configuration. Allowing me to reclaim 15 gigs of space. Removed junk software from the startup sequence. And the best part - updated the tools. Eclipse CDT installed, downloaded PERL, PHP, C#, MinGW/GCC tools, SQL server, Apache server, coLinux/Fedora 7. A lot done in one stretch. Contrary to feeling stoned this morning, I feel motivated. The first toy to unpack for play would be C#. That will be tonight's program while I sort out some weekend overheads - Kendrick's paperwork, some ASX survey and broker registration. I am at my most comfortable state, multitasking. A few "new things" really help to keep the wheels spinning. That nifty little desk lamp and the 5.1 logitech speakers blaring out the Blue audio MP3 collection. And a good pair of winter bedroom slippers. I just need to remember to eat and exercise, and we should be cruising along just fine. So much to do... and there is so much time to do it. Life down under is good. Look forward to jamming as much as possible onto Eclipse in the coming days while I start building a base of reusable components for upcoming projects. Which one to start on first... not quite sure yet.

Ye ain't nowhere near yet bro!

The squats arrived at 200lbs today, still some ways to go to hit 300lbs.
At 20lb a month, we will get there by the end of the year. Here's to getting rid of the limits all round.

Milestones:
250lbs x 20 by August
--- specialization!!! ---
--- specialization!!! ---
--- specialization!!! ---
300lbs x 20 by December

Australian Rules football

My first lazy attempt to understand Footy: Meatpie is to Footy as Hotdogs are to Baseball in the US.





And this is my adopted team.
Thats an obligation one must have when carrying a stainless steel flask around marked with the swans logo.

Community Service

Having decided that its time to go back into the community service.
Here are two sources for web hosting Godaddy and CrystalTech.
A few ideas:
- a forum for migrants and useful information, also hook up a webcam
- a site for local ethnic businesses
- a forum for good old bayan lepas community
- what else?

It would be a good opportunity to sling some PHP code and MySQL, while doing my lil bit for humanity.

Good link on PHP vs Java

This link answers a question that I had in mind today.

http://raibledesigns.com/rd/entry/php_vs_java_which_is

Looks like both are good. PHP for rapid prototyping, Java for the final works.

Still looking around for a good code snippet manager.

Braveheart speech

Dance

You know this boogie is for real
I used to put my faith in worship
But then my chance feels just too heaven sent
I used to worry about the future
But now I throw my caution to the wi-i-i-ind

I had no reason to be carefree
No, no, no
Until I took a trip to the other side of town
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You know I heard that boogie rhythm, hey!
I had no choice but to get down, down, down, down

Dance! Whooo!
Nothing left for me to do but dance
All these bad times I'm going through
Just dance!
Got canned heat in my heels tonight, baby...
Whoooooo ohhh

I feel the thunder, see the lightning
I know this anger's heaven sent
So I've gotta hang out on my hang-ups
'Cos on my boogie I feel so hell-bent hey, hey
It's just an instant gut reaction, that I got
I know I've never ever felt like this before
I don't know what to do
But then that is nothing new
Stuck between hell and high water, me I'll kill to make it through, hey!

Dance, yeah
Nothing left for me to do but dance!
All these bad times I'm going through
Just dance! hey
Got canned heat in my heels tonight, baby...

You know this boogie is for real, gal

So much canned heat in my heals, yeah
Gonna dance, gonna dance my blues away tonight
You know I’m gonna dance my blues away
You know this boogie is for real, gal
So much canned heat in my heals, yeah
Gonna dance, gonna dance my blu-u-u-es awa-a-a-y toni-i-i-ght

Dance! Whooo!
Nothing left for me to do but dance
All these bad times I'm going through
Just dance
Got canned heat in my heels tonight, baby

Dance, yeah
Oh the nasty things that people say
Dance, yeah
But I’m gonna make it anyway
Dance, yeah
Canned heat in my heals tonight, baby

You know that this boogie is for real
Got so much canned heat in my heals
Gonna dance, gonna dance my blues away tonight

Whooo!
You know, you know this boogie, this boogie is for real
Got so much canned heat, canned heat in my heals...

2008 the eagle has landed: Bleeding Love

2002 gears set in motion... Dilemma

1995 was a good year... Fairground: Simply Red

Driving down an endless road
Taking friends or moving alone
Pleasure at the fairground on the way
It's always friends that feels so good
Lets make amends like all good men should
Pleasure at the fairground on the way
Walk around, be free and roam
There's always someone leaving alone
Pleasure at the fairground on the way
And I love the thought of coming home to you
Even if I know we can't make it
I love the thought of giving hope to you
Just a little ray of light shining through
Love can bend and breathe alone
Until the end it finds you a home
Don't care what the people may say
It's always friends that feels so good
Lets make amends like all good men should
Pleasure at the fairground on the way
And I love the thought of coming home to you
Even if I know we can't make it
I love the thought of giving hope to you
Just a little ray of light shining through

A note on Basa

They call it Dory (Pacific?) in Malaysian hypermarkets. But that is false advertising. Its actually a type of catfish that thrives on sewerage. Read this article.

Hoki vs Barramundi

Both taste good: Barramundi is more delicate but costs more. Hoki will be a preferred choice in future. Just stay away from the Basa... they are actually a type of catfish (taste of mud). Hoki is surprsingly good: nice firm texture akin to cod. Versatile for all sorts of dishes. Below extracts from internet sources. Sounds like it goes well with a squeeze of lemon juice.
-------------------------------------------------
Barramundi flesh is white and moist with a medium to firm texture and fairly large flakes. The flavour is mild, subtle and highly prized. Barramundi are very versatile when it comes to cooking: they can be fried, grilled, char-grilled, barbecued, steamed, wrapped in banana leaves or paper bark and cooked on hot coals, or just dropped straight on a fire.

Barramundi is best served with a good Australian wine, such as Semillon Chardonnay or a WA classic dry white. Another good Australian wine is Jimmy Watson's 1994 Cabernet Shiraz.
-------------------------------------------------
Hoki (Blue grenadier) has a delicate, sweet, succulent flavour. When raw, its flesh is soft and requires careful handling. It is most suited to frying or baking because of the low oiliness of the species, but it is also excellent for grilling or barbecuing.

If frying blue grenadier fillets, a light batter or crumb is best. Serve these with a strongly flavoured citrus aioli and crisply fried basil leaves for both flavour and presentation. Try deep frying and serving with chips.

Blue grenadier is also an ideal finfish to include in fish cakes, served with sweet chilli or soy and coriander dipping sauces.

Flavour: Mild
Oiliness: Low
Texture: Soft to medium, Delicate; tends to flake easily into medium flakes
Suggested Wines
Although lightly flavoured, the blue grenadier is flavoursome when baked, requiring crisp, acidic wine styles. To enhance the flavours try one of the young white styles from the cooler regions of Western Australia, Victoria or Tasmania.

Islander Vocabulary

Three words from the Dictionary today:

spit the dummy : to lose one's temper
yobbo : uncultivated Australian
pom: Prisoner Of Mother England <---- HA! HA! HA!

Ok... thats enough lesson for today.

This Weekend's Project

ROAST LEG OF LAMB

1 bottle red wine
1 1/2 tbsp. rosemary
2 cloves elephant ear garlic, crushed
1 tsp. pepper
4-6 lb. boneless leg of lamb

Mix wine, rosemary, garlic and pepper together then pour over lamb. Marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove lamb from marinade, place in roasting pan and put in oven then turn heat down to 325 degrees. Bake until done approximately 16 minutes per pound. Serve with minted rice (rice with chopped fresh mint).

Fish Batter

Here is something that worked out very, very well. Chuck in any fish, even those stinky Basa fillets from Vietnam, they will come out surprisingly good.

All-Purpose Deep Frying Batter

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 cup Water
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oil


Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together and blend until there are no lumps. Preheat the oil in your deep fat fryer to the proper temperature for the food you are cooking. Dry the fish with a paper towel and dip into the batter. Place in the hot oil one piece at a time. Try to keep the pieces from colliding until the batter has had a chance to set (which it does almost instantly). Cook until the batter has turned a golden brown, remove to a paper towel to drain and serve at once. Serving size: enough for about 2 pounds of fish.

What happened in 2006 and 2007?

The Good:
Kendrick was born! and what an awesome product he is, made from fresh ingredients and of the finest quality. And with Kendrick we explore a future in a land where freedom really IS. and not just an "almost there" sort of thing and wishful thinking.

The Bad and the Ugly:
I had some close encounters in a drama of decepton, intrigue, struggle for power! :-) Small time community politics but foul smelling institutionised racist and tribal politics all the same. The place is crawling with it man. Ugly people and circumstances are just things that one sometimes have to put up with now and again.

The good news is:
On both counts the faulty systems cracked. People get away with injustice, but I am glad to see the system that enabled it to happen is eventually exposed as a sick, broken and unsustainable as it truly is. Well I didn't wait to see it all crash and burn anyway. When one has a plan, one has to move on.

Kendrick now has 6 teeth!

Kendrick and crew just before Xmas 07

Cherry picking... oo la laa

Edmonton... in fact its a little bit colder than this

Vancouver... somewhat overrated

Borat's guide to Great Britain